Deb Porter-Hayes

Artist Statement

It was not until I was in my mid-twenties when the magic of photography opened up for me. After a course or two with my used but extremely sturdy Nikon press camera, I began to capture my world through a black and white eye, and completed the process in my tiny darkroom, "painting with light" as Ansel Adams once described the developing process.

It's a very cliched phrase, but the fact of the matter is that photography is all about recognizing a special moment, often split-second, and often highlighted by unique light and/or shadow. For me, late summer and early fall are favorite times of the year for such moments. During this time, there's a door in our front hall that catches the light in such a way that I have to stop and look. The shadows are long and dramatic, and the detail of the old door screams "shoot me!"

While film purists may scoff, I find the digital world of photography just as fun and enchanting as the old film days. Color, as well as black and white, appeals to me, and my "digital darkroom" is a much more enjoyable workplace than the dank and dark space of years earlier. There always was, and still is a technical side to this art that needs to be understood. But irregardless of the equipment, photography, to me, will always require an inspired eye and moment of recognition that can only be felt, and not taught.